Anthony Torquemada
| faction= | ageoftga= }} Anthony Torquemada was the Grand Inquisitor of the Church of the Memory of Cardia, an offshoot of the Clergy of Cardia, and one of the closest underlings of High Cleric Jonathan Ferron in the Third Age. He fled with other refugees during Remon's fall to the Wretched in the Catastrophe and found himself washed ashore after a stormy voyage. Taking on the new identity of Antonio, he settled into the Imperial City, got married and began working as a blacksmith. 20 years later, Anthony was tracked down and tortured to death by Gabriel Veer, one of the people he had branded in his time as an Inquisitor, who was after Ferron. Biography Third Age Early Years Anthony Torquemada was born the bastard son of a Remonian nobleman and his Aisonian maid. To avoid soiling the his reputation, the nobleman forced both his mistress and his bastard to leave his household, leaving Anthony to be raised by a single mother who had to resort to drastic means to support their small family in a conservative community. Anthony did his best to help and worked as a harsh blacksmith's apprentice from an early age. A hard childhood taught Anthony how unjust the world was and motivated him to make the world a better place in the ranks of the one clergy he deemed just: the Clergy of Cardia. He proved to be a diligent priest who had harsh views of sinners, turning even more strict after his mother passed away. He survived the Yamatian Invasion of Remon and the rise of the Clergy of Mardük and began supporting the Grand Alliance's cause in the Great War to liberate the kingdoms Yamato had conquered. He helped stabilize Remon after its successful liberation while the Alliance fought the war abroad. Despite his rising popularity among the people of Fragnar, he found it difficult to rise in the ranks of the clergy due to jealousy among his superiors, further cementing his views of an injust world in need of purging from those driven by sin. Godslayer Era A New Order After the Great War ended in the Cataclysm, the Clergy of Cardia faced a crisis of fate as the clerics learned of the demise of their patron deity at the jaws of the Godslayer. King Marcus Sarillius had vanished, leaving the Remonian throne without an heir, which threatened the stability of the kingdom which was divided under many competing barons. Jonathan Ferron, one of the king's aides, took matters into his own hands and decided to restructure the remnants of the Cardian clergy in Remon, founding the Church of the Memory of Cardia in honor of Cardia's sacrifice with himself as the new high cleric. Ferron's strategy was ruthless and unorthodox but also effective as he picked up likewise despairing clerics of Mardük and criminals into his new clergy's ranks, offering them redemption if only they pledged themselves to his cause in fighting demons and other forces of Darkness that now threatened the world. Anthony was one of Ferron's recruits, lured in by promises of power, a promise which Ferron kept by appointing Anthony as the Grand Inquisitor of the inquisitorial branch of the church to root out conspiracies within Remon. Anthony's job was to order his acolytes such as Almaric Veer to track down and torture those whom the church suspected to be in league with demons and other followers of Mardük and gather information about the activities of other criminal elements in Remon. His methods and harsh punishments proved to be successful, and thanks to his efforts Ferron earned a place in the Council of Stewards in the king's absence to look after Remon--and the church's--interests. Plots and Setbacks After the Proninist coup in Remonton which forced the surviving members of the Council of Stewards and the church to flee, Anthony and the other clerics relocated to their second base in Fragnar. He was tasked with taking care of Gabriel d'Zarnagon and brainwash the boy so that Ferron could force the boy's father, Refan d'Zarnagon, to work for the church. Anthony carried out his orders even after the Alliance had won the Second Battle of Remonton and driven the Proninists out of Remon and acted as the highest ranked cleric while High Cleric Ferron accompanied the Alliance abroad to fight the Crimson Coalition in the Second Great War. The Grand Inquisitor faced a setback when Skye d'Zarnagon, Gabriel's mother, arrived at Fragnar to demand her son's release. She was accompanied by other high-ranked members of the Alliance, which tied Anthony's hands and forced him to hand the boy over. Anthony's torture and brainwashing had left their mark on Gabriel's mind, however, which would have lasting impacts on both the boy and the Grand Inquisitor. As Remon decended in a brief but brutal civil war between those loyal to the return King Marcus Sarillius and the insurgents led by the ambitious Steward Dylas Rin Theron, Anthony and the church remained on the king's side. The sudden outbreak of a mysterious disease which became known as the Plague of Undeath changed everything, however. It ended the civil war and introduced a new threat, the ravenous undead known as the Wretched, who swarmed over Remon, killing and raising the once living as undead. Even Fragnar with its mighty fortifications was caught offguard by the outbreak and fell to the Wretched, forcing Anthony and the few surviving clerics to flee. The clerics eventually found their way to Ravensworth which had become the last haven of the living in Remon which was now swarming with undead. Anthony once again tried to earn favor and aligned himself with Queen Desdemona Sarillius, witnessing the ambitions of the rival cleric, Father Raymond Tennent, whom the Queen had asked to coronate her while the king was away. Before Anthony could begin a power struggle with Tennent, however, the Wretched managed to breach Ravensworth's defenses and invaded the city, killing all in their way. Everyone either fought or fled with their lives, including Anthony who was among the first to hop on the ships before they departed the now fallen homeland of the brave and selfish. After the ships had reached the safety of the sea, however, a mysterious event later known as the Catastrophe struck, separating the ships and sinking some, ushering in the Fourth Age as the survivors struggled to stay alive in a world that had begun to change. Fourth Age Interim Years Anthony found himself washed ashore the Northern Continent which now had a sizable presence of demons who had founded the Andarian Empire. Submitting to his fate and driven by his survival instinct, Anthony adopted the alias of Antonio to sever ties to his shady past and presented himself as a blacksmith. He settled into the Imperial City, set up a smithy and got married with a local woman. The horrors of the war and his shady deeds left his conscience troubled, however, so he resorted to drinking and gambling to forget his worries. He beat his wife often and went to prostitutes to satisfy his needs while lamenting how far he had fallen from his previous, prestigious position. During this time he befriended the clown Doukeshi from a travelling troupe who became one of the few people he could call a friend in this new, demon-ruled land he was forced to live in. Herald of the Dawn On the celebration of the Empire's twentieth year of founding, Anthony received a mysterious green VIP ticket with a mockingbird logo which invited him to the soon-to-be-opened Verdant nightclub for free drinks, which he believed to be part of the club's promotion. While on the way there, he happened upon Farah Sand and, mistaking her for a prostitute at first, offered to buy her services, to which the girl agreed. As they made out in an alley, Farah revealed her true colors and attempted to mug Anthony but Anthony had figured out her true intentions quickly enough and used his skills as a former Inquisitor in an attempt to subdue her. He underestimated her resourcefulness, however, and was knocked out and mugged. After waking up, Anthony swore to find Farah and make her pay. Much to his delight, however, the thief had left the VIP ticket behind, so he decided to head to the nightclub for a free drink. He happened upon Doukeshi who had arrived in the city a few hours earlier, and two went to the nightclub together where they were greeted with a half-elven bouncer and a rather curious bartender who mixed them drinks of Pisswasser based on an old Remonian dwarf lager. After delivering drinks to the table, the bartender joined Anthony and Doukeshi and began asking them more and more questions. Although jovial at first, the small talk turned more and more uncomfortable until it reached a turning point when the bartender revealed a brand in his arm and addressed Anthony as his former title of Grand Inquisitor. Putting two and two together, Anthony tried to kill the bartender who knew of his past but was easily subdued by the stronger man who pierced his hand with a dagger and took out Doukeshi who was revealed to be a disguised demon from the former Northern Horde. Helpless and realizing that the half-elf was the bartender's accomplice, Anthony asked the man to identify himself. The bartender revealed himself as none other than Gabriel, the son of Refan and Skye, who was after revenge for what the church and its clerics had done to him and his parents over two decades ago. Death After being tortured to reveal what he knew of Ferron, Anthony was killed by Gabriel. His and the clown's mutilated bodies were left behind in the nightclub with a message carved into their bodies. Aliases and Nicknames ; Antonio : His alias in the Fourth Age. ; Grand Inquisitor : His title in the Church of the Memory of Cardia. Appearance A bald, bearded man. He used to wear expensive robes to signify his status in the church but after falling from grace, he was reduced to wearing cheap clothes in Andaria. Personality and Traits As a cleric, he was diligent, strict and stern but also powerhungry. As a smith, he was a drunk womanizer with a gambling addiction but still had enough sense to notice threats when they presented themselves to him. Powers and Abilities He was skilled in the use of knives and was a decent healer. He truly excelled in torture techniques and breaking prisoners' minds so they could be made servants of the church. Relationships Gabriel Veer Gabriel was yet another subject to torture and brainwash under Ferron's orders. However, his actions would lead to his demise when Gabriel would track him down years later to avenge what Anthony had done to him and his family. Jonathan Ferron Anthony came to respect Ferron a great deal, viewing him as a man who changed the Cardian faith for the better. Ferron likewise trusted Anthony to promote the church's interests and keep everything in line while Ferron himself travelled abroad with the Alliance. Even after falling from grace, Anthony continued viewing Ferron with reverence as the high cleric had given him power and wealth and allowed him to pursue his ambitions freely. See also *Church of the Memory of Cardia *Fragnar *Gabriel Veer Category:Characters from Andaria Category:Characters from Remon Category:Church of the Memory of Cardia Category:Fourth Age characters Category:Grand Alliance Category:Humans Category:Third Age characters